Beach cleaning machine



Sept. 19, 1961 L. H. PLATT, JR., EI'AL 3,000,448

BEACH CLEANING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1960 I l'lllIl-ll'llll' l .ZEL AWDH PLQTTJR.

INVENTORS f 6 rib/4N ATTORN EYS p 1961 L. H. PLATT, JR., ETAL 3,000,448

BEACH CLEANING MACHINE Filed Jan. 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN D. PLQTT 1N VEN TORS Patented Sept. 19, 1961 3,000,448 BEACH CLEANING MACHINE Leland H. Platt, Jr., and John D. Platt, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to J. H. Platt 8: Son, Los Angeles, Calif a partnership Filed Jan. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 1,384 4 Claims. (Cl. 171-92) This invention has to do generally with beach sand cleaning equipment, and is directed to an improved machine characterized by its practicability for maintaining large or small beach areas in exceptionally clean condition without having to resort to the complicated and relatively expensive kinds of equipment that have been proposed or used in the past for beach cleaning.

The invention is predicated upon the later developed concept of raking or combing the sand to a degree of continuity and thoroughness that will assure removel of not only larger sized debris, but also the bulk of smaller pieces such as broken glass, nails and the like, without necessitating or involving the removal or displacement with the debris, of any consequential quantities of the beach sand itself. We have accomplished the application and its principle in a simple machine capable of being advanced along the beach, as by being pulled behind a tractor, so that the machine cleans a wide strip of the sand as it advances and has such maneuverability as to permit the cleaning of large areas in such short periods of time as to render practicable the use of the machine for daily beach upkeep.

structurally, the invention contemplates equipping the machine with a series of rakes so carried and actuated that the rakes enter the sand to a depth sufiicient for removal of debris, and in a sequential relation assuring against no interruptions or skips in the raking continuity, thus assuring a completely clean strip. At this point it may be mentioned that the raking action contemplated, is to be distinguished from a fine screening or other effect which results in removal of a top depth of the beach sand along with the debris. The action which We achieve is essentially a combing-out of the debris to elevate the latter from the beach while leaving the sand in place. In this manner we obviate a necessity for subsequent separation of sand from the debris.

In its preferred embodiment, the invention contemplates mounting the series of rakes for travel in an endless course as by mounting the rakes as upon a revolving carrier or frame, and in a manner permitting accommodation of a debris-receiving hopper within the rake carrier. In this manner the rakes are caused to separate and elevate the debris from the sand, and to then dump the trash into the hopper as they travel over its open top.

Also contemplated is a novel feature rendering it possible to dump the hopper independently of the rake and carrier assembly, or any other moving parts of the machine. In accordance with the invention, we preferably mount the rake carrier and hopper about a common axis, and provide for dumping rotation of the hopper independently of the rake carrier.

The invention has various features and objects such as provision for differential wheeling of the machine on turns, the manner in which the rakes are driven from the wheels, and provision made for varying the sand-penetrating depths of the rakes, all of which will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention shown by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the machine, a portion of the hood and one wheel being broken away to expose the parts below.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4. is a fragmentary elevation of the side opposite FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal section in the plane of line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan as viewed from line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged showing of one of the rake tines and its mounting on the carrier bar.

Referring to the drawings, the machine comprises a rectangular frame generally indicated at 10 composed of forward and rear tubular members 11 and 12 interconnected by side members 13 and 14. Projecting forwardly from member 11 are draw bar arms 15 carrying a conventional coupling 16 through which the frame may be connected with the pulling arm or arms 17 of a tractor, not shown. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the arms 17 may have the capacity for vertical swinging movement as between the solid and dotted line positions, to vary the sand-penetrating depths of the later described rakes.

Axle 18, journaled in bearings 19 and also within intermediate bearings 20 carried by arms 21 fixed to the frame member 12, is connected to a pair of wheels 22 by way of suitable mechanism generally indicated at 23 which will permit rotation of one wheel relative to the other as when the machine is turned. Merely as illustrative, such mechanism 23 (within each of the wheels 22) may comprise a ratchet 24 fixed to the shaft 18 and engaged by the pawl end 25 of an arm 26 pivoted at 29 to the Wheel. When it is desired to release the ratchet and pawl drive from the wheels to the shaft, arm 26 of the pawl may be swung to a releasing position by Withdrawing the spring-urged pin 27 (see FIG. 7) from the spoke opening 32 and inserting the pin in a similar opening 32a in an adjacent spoke.

The frame mounts a second shaft 33 supported in bearings 34 and 35, one end of the shaft carrying a gear 36, see FIG. 4, engaged and normally held against rotation by worm 37 on a shaft 38 mounted in bearings 39 along the frame member 13 and carrying a terminal handle 40. An open top hopper 41 has its end plates 42 fixed to the shaft 33 so that normally the hopper is held by the shaft in its debris-receiving position of FIG. 3, but is rotatable to dump the debris by rotation of the shaft through the gears 36 and 37.

Mounted for rotation about shaft 33 is a carrier, generally indicated at 43, in the form of a skeleton structure composed of circularly and equally spaced bars 44 terminally connected to discs 45 fixed to the shaft 33. The latter carries a sprocket 46 over which passes a chain 47 which passes also about a forward sprocket 471 having a trunnion 48 journaled in the frame-carried bearing 49, and a rear sprocket 50 fixed to the shaft 18. Thus as the machine is advanced by the tractor, the carrier frame 43 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 by the chain drive from sprocket 50 to sprocket 46.

Each of the carrier frame bars 44, see FIG. 8, mounts a rake, or series of rakes, generally indicated at 52, extending the length of the hopper 41 and composed of spaced tines 53 preferably shaped to have angular terminals 54 capable of scooping down into the sand, and fixed at their opposite ends 55 to the bar 44. The tines may be given a desirable flexibility range by forming them of wire looped at 56 near the supporting bar. Each of the rakes 52 may consist of a single or unitized series of the tines 53, or each rake may be made in sections 52a, 52b, and 520 individually prefabricated and adapted to be individually mounted and replaceable on the frame bar 44. Thus the innner-ends 55 of the tines in each section may be carried by a U-shaped bracket 65 fitted to the bar 44 and releasably held thereto by bolts 66. The angular terminals of the tines may or may not be interconnected by a wire or strip 57 holding the tines against deflection out of alignment. It may also be desirable for certain kinds of cleaning, to adhere addi tional transverse interconnecting wires 57a to the, tines at intervals sufiiciently spaced to permit complete segregation of thetsand from the debris. When used, the wires 57a do not convert the tine series to a screen capable of picking up the sand. While variable according tothe fineness of debris to be gathered by the rakes, the tines 53 typically may be arranged at about spacings.

The described parts are partially housed within a hood 63 extending upwardly from the frame about and in spaced relation to the takes, the end sheet 64 of the housing or the hood extending down to the side rails 13 and 14.

In considering the operation of the machine, it has been explained that controlled elevation of the front of the frame through the coupling 16, determines the sand-penetrating depth of the rakes. As the machine is advanced, driving the rakes counterclockwise, each rake travels downwardly into the sand a depth suflicient to gather all consequential surface debris, and as the rake advances in its arcuate path, the rake retains and elevates the debris, carrying it to a location overlying the hopper 41, into which the debris is dumped. As previously emphasized, the spacing of the rake tines is such that no consequential quantities of sand are carried into the hopper by the rakes. Continuity of cleaning the beach strip is assured by spacing the rakes sufiiciently closely that a successive rake will engage or penetrate the sand simultaneously with a predecessor, or at a location rearwardly of the point at which the predecessor leaves the sand.

In view of the possible tendency of some debris, such as papers, to cling to the rakes as they pass over the hopper, it may be desirable to facilitate the removal of such pieces. For this purpose we provide an elongated flap 60, see FIG. 3, carried by an oscillatory rod 61, displacement of the flap by engagement with the rake being resisted by coil spring 62.

We claim:

1. A beach sand cleaning machine comprising a flame, wheels supporting said frame, a succession of rakes movably carried by said frame and operable to successively enter and continuously comb a strip of the sand along which the machine is advanced, means mounting said rakes for movement into the sand and then upwardly to elevate debris separately from the sand, means for actuating the rakes in such movement, and a hopper carried by said frame. and positioned to receive said debris elevated by the rakes, said rakes being formed of flexible tines having essentially comb arrangement and being unencumbered and spaced to pass the sand so that substantially none of the sand is elevated to the hopper, said tines having looped inner portions connected to said mounting means.

2. A machine according to claim 1, in which said rakes include means extending across and interconnecting the tines beyond said looped portions toward the combing ends of the tines.

3. A machine according to claim 1, comprising a rotatable rake carrier on which said rakes are arranged in a circular series of rows extending transversely of said :frame in which said tines are connected to the carrier near said looped portions.

4. A machine according to claim 3, in which said rakes include individual flexible tines the outer extents of which when positioned at the bottom of the carrier are inclined forwardly into the sand, the inner extents of the tines extending angularly in relation to said outer extents and containing said looped portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

